ECD man admits to killing, burying wife in incomplete home

Ten years after the decomposed body of his wife was found buried in a bathroom of their incomplete house, 80-year-old Gordon Leslie Durant has pleaded guilty to killing the woman.

Before Demerara High Court Judge Jo Ann Barlow, Durant, formerly of Melanie North, East Coast Demerara (ECD), entered a guilty plea for the offence of manslaughter over the death of his wife, Joan.
He was initially indicted for the murder of the woman, 50, which occurred between June 26 and 28, 2012, but opted to plead guilty to a lesser count.
The elderly man, who has been on remand since July 3, 2012, and who is being represented by Attorney-at-Law Dexter Smartt, will be sentenced on September 15.

Attorneys-at-Law Latifiah Elliot, Marisa Edwards, and Simran Gajraj are appearing for the prosecution.
The body of the 50-year-old woman was discovered buried in an unfinished bathroom at the couple’s home on June 28, 2012, shortly after she was reported missing by her family.
According to reports, Leslie had told detectives that his wife had packed her bags and moved out of their matrimonial home on June 26, 2012.
But the woman’s relatives did not believe his story and reported her disappearance to the Police.
After a stench began emanating from the couple’s home, Joan’s relatives summoned Police ranks, who discovered her body buried in sand in the unfinished structure.